S/PV.7070 Security Council

Under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique to participate in this meeting. On behalf of the Council, I welcome the presence of Mr. Fernando Delfim da Silva, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Guinea- Bissau. Under rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. José Ramos-Horta, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau, to participate in this meeting. Under rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Permanent Representative of Brazil, to participate in this meeting in his capacity as Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2013/680, which contains the report of the Secretary- General on the restoration of constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau, and to document S/2013/681, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on developments in Guinea-Bissau and on the activities of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau. I now give the floor to Mr. Ramos-Horta. Mr. Ramos-Horta: I thank you, Sir, for this opportunity to introduce the two reports of the Secretary-General (S/2013/680 and S/2013/681) on the continuing efforts to help restore constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau and on the activities of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea- Bissau (UNIOGBIS). As the Secretary-General indicates in his report, progress towards the restoration of constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau, especially with respect to the holding of credible presidential and legislative elections, has continued to be slow. Lengthy consultations among national stakeholders to agree on the voter registration system and to finalize the electoral budget and timeline have significantly contributed to the delay in advancing electoral preparations, including in mobilizing the required resources to cover the elections. On 31 October, the Transitional Government announced that digital voter registration would take place both in Guinea-Bissau and in the diaspora from 1 to 22 December. The Transitional Government subsequently announced that the voter registration period would be modified to run from 1 to 31 December. On 15 November, Transitional President Serifo Nhamadjo issued a decree announcing that general elections would be held on 16 March 2014. He also indicated that the costs of the elections would be fully covered by pledges made by the country’s key international partners. While some progress has been made in the past few weeks in advancing preparations for the elections, much remains to be done. To assist in these efforts, the Transitional Prime Minister has established a coordinating committee for the electoral process and financial support to the general elections of 2013-2014, under his chairmanship, to ensure coordination among partners. On 5 November, an electoral mission from Timor- Leste, headed by the Timorese Secretary of State of Administrative Decentralization, Mr. Tomás Cabral, arrived in Bissau. The delegation, which includes 20 advisers from the election management body of Timor- Leste, will remain in Guinea-Bissau for four months to provide advice to the Government’s technical electoral support office. The Government of Timor-Leste has pledged $6 million for the voter registration process and donated 200 electoral kits. Overall, pledges made by international partners are now well in excess of the budget prepared by the Transitional Government. Please allow me to say a few words on other key developments in the country since the issuance of the two reports of the Secretary-General. With respect to political developments, the first ordinary session of the 2013-2014 parliamentary year opened on 18 November and is expected to end on 18 December. Parliamentarians will discuss, inter alia, the amnesty bill in favour of the authors of the coup d’état of 2012, the public finance management transparency code, and the State budget for 2014. Members of the Council will recall that the amnesty bill proposed by the Transitional Government, with the support of the Social Renewal Party (PRS), was initially rejected by the National Assembly on 10 September. At that time, the PRS Secretary-General had announced that his party would resubmit the bill, arguing that amnesty was part of the “normalization process” under way. As to the judiciary, since the assassination of a Nigerian citizen in Bissau on 8 October and the opening of an investigation into the case, 10 individuals have been formally charged with the crime and are being held at the Judiciary Police detention centre pending their trial. The Prosecutor-General has also opened another investigation into the attack on the Minister of Transport and Communications of the Transitional Government, Mr. Orlando Viegas Mendes, which occurred on 5 November. The Minister is still out of the country receiving medical care for the injuries he sustained during the violent beating. We have been informed that 11 individuals have been questioned by the Judiciary Police in relation to the attack. With respect to the UNIOGBIS mandate, delays in preparations for the elections have had a negative impact on its implementation. Most of the mission’s efforts have been focused on responding to the country’s immediate political, security and human rights challenges. However, the Mission has made some progress, in establishing two regional offices, in the north-central region of Bafatá and in the southern region of Buba. The inauguration ceremonies on 9 November were attended by hundreds of people, including the Governors of Bafatá and Quinara, sector administrators, military and security personnel, traditional and religious leaders. In my statements on the occasion, I emphasized that the regional offices would contribute to bringing the United Nations closer to the people and help the Organization to have a better understanding of the problems facing the people in the interior of the country. In conclusion, allow me to highlight two key points. First, progress in the restoration of constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau remains frustratingly slow. Indeed, and as highlighted in the two reports, the human rights and security situation in Guinea-Bissau has continued to deteriorate, with increased cases of intimidation, threats, and restrictions of freedom of expression and assembly, as well as continuing interference of the military in the affairs of the State. In a joint letter to the Transitional President dated 19 September, the Economic Community of West African States Special Representative in Bissau and I expressed concern over continuing human rights violations and impunity in the country. We also referred to the generalized climate of fear created by the unlawful behaviour of the defence and security forces. That climate of fear has persisted to date and is not contributing to establishing an environment conducive to the holding of peaceful and credible elections. The transitional authorities must ensure that those responsible for these unlawful acts are brought to justice. The United Nations will continue to provide support for the implementation of the recommendations of the National Conference on Impunity, Justice and Human Rights, which was held in Bissau in July. I invite other international partners to lend further support in this area. Secondly, the holding of credible and peaceful presidential and legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau on 16 March 2014, as announced by the Transitional President, should remain our key priority in ensuring a return to constitutional order in the country. I would like to commend Guinea-Bissau’s international partners for their generous pledges of financial support to the electoral process, which I urge them to disburse rapidly, following arrangements for proper management. As stressed by the Secretary-General in his report, the onus is now on the Transitional Government to take the necessary steps towards the timely holding of the elections.

I thank Mr. Ramos-Horta for his statement. I now give the floor to Mr. Patriota.

I thank you, Sir, for convening this meeting and for the invitation to brief the Security Council in my capacity as Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). I also thank the Special Representative of the Secretary- General, Mr. José Ramos-Horta, for his briefing and his outstanding leadership and vision. His assessment and proposals deserve our attentive consideration. As Guinea-Bissau enters what we hope will be the last stages of its transition back to constitutional order, the Council’s active engagement remains critical. In September, the Council was encouraged by developments such as the creation of a more inclusive transitional Government, and called for the holding of free and credible presidential and legislative elections as soon as possible and for an inclusive dialogue towards key reforms. Today, a new date has been set for the elections; donors, especially those from the region, have made substantive pledges; and key preparations for elections, such as voter registration, are to begin soon. Still, recent episodes of violence and intimidation are a matter of deep concern and a reminder of the fragility of the security situation and of the long way to go towards the goal of stability. The Guinea-Bissau configuration of the PBC stands ready to work closely with all partners, particularly the Security Council and Special Representative Ramos- Horta, not only to help sustain the necessary support for the electoral process, but most importantly to help articulate a comprehensive strategy for the post- electoral phase. Considering the importance of early planning in this regard, I intend to accept an invitation from Mr. Ramos-Horta to visit Guinea-Bissau, in my capacity as Chair of the configuration, in mid-January with a view to identifying the areas in which the Guinea- Bissau configuration of the PBC can make a difference. If the elections are to be successful, adequate preparation, including voter registration, must take place in a credible manner. I am encouraged by and grateful for the generosity of countries providing technical and financial support, the bulk of which is coming from the region, as well as for the contributions of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the European Union. I firmly believe that regional and subregional support, as well as South-South cooperation, are key elements of an effective peacebuilding strategy for Guinea-Bissau. I am committed, as a priority, to working closely with regional and subregional partners as we reinstate the PBC’s engagement with Guinea-Bissau. We all know that elections in themselves, while an essential prerequisite for sustained stability, will not provide a comprehensive answer to the numerous challenges that Guinea-Bissau faces. Much more needs to be done to secure a constructive post- electoral environment. It will be necessary to ensure that inclusive, broad-based participation in political understandings is maintained following the elections. Efforts towards the reform and modernization of the defence, security and justice sectors — a key dimension for stability and the consolidation of civilian rule — must be decisively enhanced. The PBC can play a central role in generating international support for reforms under a democratically elected national leadership, with strong emphasis on capacity-building for State institutions. At the same time, comprehensive steps will need to be taken to help the country’s economy, including through improvements in infrastructure, the generation of revenue, civilian institutions and job creation, which are important elements in the effort to break the cycle of political instability in Guinea-Bissau. The PBC will continue to support efforts by the future democratically elected Government of Guinea- Bissau to articulate national peacebuilding priorities with international assistance. Guinea-Bissau’s diverse economic potential, from agricultural production to fisheries and mining, holds one of the keys for the country’s peaceful and stable future. Despite the daunting challenges that the country is still facing and the dire social and economic situation, aggravated by the suspension of international assistance, Guinea-Bissau has the potential to become an African success story. A fertile country with a resilient, peaceful people, abundant water and mineral resources and beautiful beaches, Guinea-Bissau deserves our long-term and sustained attention. As Special Representative Ramos-Horta has pointed out before, the silent political emergency of Guinea-Bissau, as serious and dangerous as it may be, has not drawn the attention of international mass media. On the other hand, the scale of the problems in Guinea-Bissau is relatively small, if compared to much bigger challenges that the Security Council and the international community have successfully tackled in the recent years, and need to deal with in Africa and other parts of the world. There is no reason that our concerted actions should not achieve positive results. With strong engagement by the PBC and sustained support from the Security Council, as well as from its regional and international partners, and with dedicated transcontinental solidarity from Portuguese-speaking countries, which can provide critical support in capacity-building, I am confident that we will be able to assist the people of Guinea-Bissau to devise a better future for themselves. It is my strong expectation that Guinea-Bissau can become a successful exercise in the display of steadfast solidarity and collective responsibility to achieve the interlinked goals of sustainable development and lasting peace.

I thank Mr. Patriota for his brifing. I now give the floor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Guinea-Bissau.

Allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on behalf of Guinea- Bissau, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month, as well as to convey to you my sincere wishes for the success of your work. I also wish to extend to the members of the Council our deep gratitude for having devoted particular attention in recent years to the situation in my country. I would like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his enlightening report (S/2013/681) of the reality on the ground in my country, which has just been introduced, as well as to thank him for his tireless commitment to the cause of Guinea-Bissau. We pay well-deserved tribute to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Guinea- Bissau, Mr. José Ramos-Horta, for the new impetus he has brought to the transition process in my country. We hope that we will be able to continue to count on his long experience in support of our peacebuilding process. I thank Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Permanent Representative of Brazil and President of Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission; Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba, Permanent Representative of Côte d’Ivoire and Chair of the Economic Community of African States (ECOWAS); and Ambassador António Gumende, Permanent Representative of Mozambique and Chair of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), for their respective commitment to the transition process under way in my country. I speak before the Security Council at a time when my country is heading towards the end of the transition period started after the coup d’état of April 2012. Despite efforts by our authorities, the timeline initially established by ECOWAS, and approved by the transitional authorities of my country, could not be met, resulting in the postponement of the general elections that were scheduled for 24 November. In that context, we would like to pay tribute to ECOWAS, whose member States were able to provide a large part of the budget required for the elections at the latest summit held in Dakar, on 25 October. I also wish to express our sincere thanks to People’s Republic of China for its invaluable support, as well as to the European Union for its financial contribution to the process. Guinea-Bissau duly appreciates the intentions expressed by other bilateral partners to support the electoral process, as that will allow us to achieve the restoration of constitutional order in accordance with the requirements of the international community, in general, and particularly the desire of the people of Guinea-Bissau. I would like to take this opportunity to express the deep gratitude of my country vis-à-vis a brother country that has made the decision to engage with the people and the authorities of Guinea-Bissau at a particularly time difficult. The Republic of Timor-Leste, a CPLP member State, has taken full responsibility for the entire process of voter registration. This is the second time in the history of our democracy that this process has reached out to the diaspora. Given those conditions, and in the spirit of resolution 2048 (2012), the Transitional President issued a decree setting a new date for the general elections — 16 March 2014. Voter registration must therefore begin in the coming days, that is, on 1 December. As the Council is aware, elections in Guinea-Bissau will be but a first step in a process that should naturally begin with the restoration of the constitutional order, with a view to providing our country with legitimate institutions so that, in collaboration with all our partners, it will lead the country to peace and enable it to face the challenges that are before us. We are fully aware of the magnitude, and at times the complexity, of our challenges. But our belief that Guinea-Bissau is a viable country where everyone can live in peace remains unassailable. In the post-election period, we will very much need the support of the international community, as recommended by the Secretary-General’s report of 6 May (S/2013/262), as the challenges we face are numerous and often complex in the our current political, social and economic contributionext. Reform in the defence and security sectors remains at the top of the hierarchy of priorities for our country. However, beyond that imperative, other equally important challenges also lie ahead. They include the fight against drug trafficking, ensuring the effective functioning of the judiciary, creating conditions conducive to the promotion of human rights and building the capacity of the public administration to ensure good governance, so that our country can also aspire to develop in the manner our people so desire. In that context, I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to all our international partners to continue to support Guinea-Bissau in this phase. Guinea-Bissau is currently facing a social crisis of unprecedented proportions owing to the sanctions imposed by our main partners following the break in the constitutional order that was the result of the 12 April coup. We understand those measures, but it should be recalled that the sanctions’ effects go beyond political considerations and should rather be looked at from a humanitarian perspective, in regard to which we call on Guinea-Bissau’s partner organizations to lift the sanctions in order to minimize the consequences of the crisis that the country is currently undergoing. We welcome the initiative of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in July in making $5 million available to the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau, which has enabled it to undertake some pre-electoral activities. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate my thanks to the members of the Security Council for their commitment to finding solutions to the situation that Guinea-Bissau finds itself in.

At the outset, Mr. President, I would like to congratulate you on your country’s presidency of the Security Council for the month of November. I would also like to thank you for inviting me to participate on behalf the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), comprised of Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste and my own country, Mozambique, at this briefing on the situation in Guinea-Bissau. The CPLP countries continue to follow with great interest the ongoing process towards the restoration of constitutional order and the conclusion of the transition in Guinea-Bissau. We therefore welcome the comprehensive report of the Secretary- General (S/2013/681) on the latest developments in Guinea-Bissau and the activities of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS). The delays in the electoral process continue to prolong the people’s suffering, hindering their realization of their aspirations and forcing the country to remain dependent on assistance for its basic survival needs, since the April 2012 coup d’état has exacerbated social and economic hardships in the country. We commend the recent positive developments, particular the announcement of the voter registration process planned from 1 to 21 December, and the scheduling of presidential and legislative elections for 16 March 2014. We welcome and commend the Government of Timor-Leste’s creation of a mission to support the electoral process in Guinea-Bissau, along with a contribution of $6 million to assist in the voter registration process. The technical team will be working in close partnership with the technical office supporting the electoral process in Guinea-Bissau. The mission will have a high-level technical capacity and is committed to sharing its knowledge and experience and providing assistance in conducting simultaneous elections in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, thereby contributing to the restoration of constitutional order. We hope that with the support of the international community, in particular the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as Timor-Leste, Nigeria, and the European Union, the transitional authorities will fully respect that calendar by discharging their main responsibility for organizing free, fair, inclusive and credible elections that are a precondition for a return to constitutional order, in line with resolution 2048 (2012), without further postponements, which should clearly be unacceptable to the international community. Recognizing those positive developments in the country, we would like to commend the tireless efforts and vision of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. José Ramos-Horta, aimed at a sustainable solution to the crisis. The holding of elections is an urgently needed step in establishing legitimate institutions. Their results must be fully acted on in order to respect the true will of the people of Guinea-Bissau. The election and the establishment of a legitimate Government should also strengthen civilian oversight and supervision of the defence and security forces. We call on the transitional authorities, with the active engagement of the international community and in particular the Security Council, to ensure that the elections are conducted in a peaceful environment, with the safe participation of all actors in the political process. In that regard, I must convey our deep concern about the recent episodes of violence and intimidation in Guinea-Bissau, affecting representatives of the media, human rights advocates, artists and political figures, as well as the lack of concrete action being taken to fight impunity. The international community, including the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, must firmly support the legitimate authorities of Guinea-Bissau once they assume their functions, in order to once and for all break the cycle of violence and instability that has affected that fragile country for many years. In a climate of inclusive dialogue, the future legitimate authorities should implement the reforms that have been identified as necessary in the security, justice and administrative sectors. But in order to do that, as Mr. Ramos-Horta has pointed out, they will need international technical and financial support. They will also need security and stability. In that regard, the Council should discuss further the Secretary-General’s recommendation on the importance of providing support for strengthening the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB) in order to guarantee adequate security for the elections and in the post-election period as the country reforms and strengthens its institutions. Such support could include a broader international presence on the ground under an enhanced ECOMIB. As the Security Council has affirmed in previous statements, combating impunity in Guinea-Bissau is a priority and a condition for long-term stability. We reiterate our concern about the prevailing culture of impunity and lack of accountability in the country. In that regard, we welcome the ongoing efforts of UNIOGBIS and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to support the fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime in Guinea-Bissau. They will continue to be key to helping the future legitimate authorities to overcome that challenge in a sustainable manner and to promote stability in the country and beyond. Let me conclude by reiterating the commitment of the CPLP to continue working with the international community to create the necessary conditions for stability, the consolidation of peace and the restoration of the foundations necessary to the development of Guinea-Bissau.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the 15 States members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and I welcome the excellent reports of the Secretary-General presented to us today on the situation in Guinea-Bissau (S/2013/680 and S/2013/681). In view of the fact that my delegation is taking the floor for the first time this month, I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your presidency of the Council for November. My delegation has taken note of the reports of the Secretary-General and has listened to the briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. José Ramos-Horta, as well as the various statements by the speakers before me. Since the adoption of resolution 2013 (2013) on 22 May, there have been a number of positive developments and concrete results in Guinea-Bissau under the Special Representative’s watch, particularly regarding the restoration of constitutional order, preparations for the presidential elections, the strengthening of the judicial and security sectors, and preparations for post-crisis reconstruction after elections have been held. That is why, on behalf of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, I would like to pay tribute to the Special Representative for the results obtained to date, and to affirm the entire Community’s support to him in the challenges still to overcome. We firmly believe that his experience as a statesman and his charisma as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate have greatly contributed to those positive developments. He is to be congratulated on his commitment, particularly considering that his country, Timor-Leste, has contributed to the financing of the electoral process to the tune of $6 million and is fully involved in the voter registration planned for December. Despite those encouraging results, we have to admit that much remains to be done, particularly in the area of security and stability. For their part, at the forty-third ECOWAS Summit, the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS committed firmly and concretely to extending the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB) for an additional 12 months, until 16 May 2014. In that specific context, and to support the electoral process under way, ECOWAS is ready to make a contribution of $19 million for the financing of the presidential elections scheduled for 16 March 2014. In addition to that contribution, ECOWAS also intends to send two formed police units as reinforcements to ECOMIB. We have been informed that there is an urgent request to meet logistics and air needs to guarantee the security of the electoral process and ensure calm and peaceful elections. We take this opportunity to call for such equipment and materials to be made available. Like all of Guinea-Bissau’s development partners, ECOWAS remains mobilized to provide all possible support for a return to constitutional order and economic recovery in Guinea-Bissau. I also take the opportunity of this meeting to note the gratitude of ECOWAS to all partners of the international community who continue to provide substantial support to this brotherly country of our subregion. In that regard, I am pleased to welcome the contributions announced by the European Union and the Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, totalling some $800,000. Likewise, the West African Economic and Monetary Union announced funding of $2 million. We are therefore very encouraged by all of this good news, and believe that all of those contributions will enable Guinea-Bissau to hold credible elections. It is therefore crucial in our view that joint work be carried out, starting now, to develop a detailed road map for security sector and justice reform so as to ensure the necessary foundations for stabilization for the medium and long term in Guinea-Bissau. With regard to post-election reconstruction, joint actions planned with the African Union, the World Bank and several other development partners should be granted the full attention of the Security Council and all of the States Members of the United Nations in order to guarantee their full success. In conclusion, I should like to reaffirm the commitment of Heads of State and Government of West Africa to strengthening the integration of the subregion by eradicating conflict and laying the foundations for sustainable development in subregion. The case of Guinea-Bissau is a priority at the heart of that commitment of the leaders of our subregion.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers.I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.